Sisters Are Nice

I was out side taking a few quick pictures for my etsy shop and the girls wanted a turn. So I let my "ragamuffin" children have a seat. My girls are little "posers." Its hard to get a natural smile out of either one of them, but we had fun trying.

New Back Pack

I've been meaning to share this for a while. When school started this last fall, I couldn't find a decent backpack for a resonable price. Thats when I decided to just make my son's backpack myself.

I took these black cordoroy pants that my husband hasn't worn in at least 6 years and started cutting. I wish I had taken pictures as I went along, but didn't think about it aat the time.

I used one of the legs as the main part and the fly as the zipper to the smaller pocket. I made straps and flap from the other leg. I covered the inside of the flap with orange and blue fabric. Andrew drew out the design he wanted and picked his favorite colors.

And here's the finished product. If I were to do it again, I would use a nice snap instead of velcro.

Christmas Eve in San Francisco

Every year, except when I'm pregnant or sick, we venture into "the city" on Christmas Eve. It is Aaron's favorite family traditions. His family has been going for many years. Now, I usually drag my feet to get there, because going means missing out on my family's annual Christmas Eve traditions and forfeiting my place in the chocolate line, but I always have fun once we are there.



This year, we made our first stop in Ghiridelli Square. We went in to have their world famous Hot Fudge Sundae. We were NOT disappointed. We ordered the brownie sundae and a hot chocolate to share. That was, by far, the best dessert I've had in a long time.


We made our way down to Pier 39. On the way, we stop at a few art galleries and a barely missed the Maritime museum by 1 minute! We let the kids play on the giant anchor for a little while.



The name of the bread company escapes me right now, but there was a beautiful old building with a bakery. It had a full glass window, where we could watch the bakers shape the dough into crabs, lobsters, snowmen, and even a giant alligator! I got in trouble with my grand father the next day. Apparently I was suppose to pick up a loaf or two of sour dough bread, but I didn't get the memo.






We made our annual hat and glove purchase at Baby GAP. The kids all got to pick a pair of gloves, Sarah's gloves came with a matching hat.

Over at Pier 39, we had a nice dinner at Sweet Louie's. It was good, but I can never enjoy a meal when I know I'm spending that much money on it (shhhh...don't tell Aaron, he quite enjoyed it.) I don't usually let me kids play under the table, but I could tell Sarah was close to reaching her limits. The table cloth went all the way to the floor and she was quite, so I let her be.

Overall, it was a nice family trip. I'm glad I went, even if I dragged my feet all the way to the car.

Scharffen Berger Chocolate

Have you heard about Scharffen Berger Chocolate? Its really good, especially if you like dark chocolate (I don't particularly care for dark chocolate, but this stuff is good). A while back, I found out that thier plant in Berkley gives out free tours. So, after visiting the Oakland Temple, I suprised Aaron with a little trip.

We had a great time. He said he was truely suprised, which I can't do very often.

Next time you're in the California Bay Area, check it out.